FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

IDP Hot and Not - Week 8 Darin Tietgen October 21, 2008

Welcome to the Week 8 installment of The Huddle’s IDP Hot and Not. Check us out every other week, where we’ll give you a flavor of what IDPs are hot and look to continue their streaks and which ones are not that you might consider benching in coming weeks or dropping altogether.

LINEBACKERS

HOT

James Harrison (PIT) – He’s had a couple stinker games (Weeks 2 and 3), but on average, Harrison is putting up solid stats. You’ll want him in your lineup against the Giants. Patrick Willis put up 20 fantasy points against the G-men last week. Figure Harrison will do about the same.

Stephen Cooper (SDC) – Yes, Cooper was on this list two weeks ago. No, I’m not trying to get out of writing this article by simply copying my work from two weeks ago. Truth is, there are only two LBs hotter than Cooper over the past three weeks, and one (Patrick Willis) was many pundits’ top LB pick this season. The other (Gary Brackett) has been a fantasy stud for years. Enter Cooper, who is definitely making the best of Shawne Merriman’s absence. Cooper will again be busy this Sunday even if the Saints are without Reggie Bush.

Takeo Spikes (SFO) – Another guy that’s been on this list (as well as sleeper lists) since the start of the season. Spikes has a pair of quieter games since his Week 5 25-point explosion, but look for him to get back on track against a struggling Seahawk team this week.

NOT

David Thornton (TEN) – The Titan D is again very strong, but Thornton is having a pretty weak fantasy season. He was consistently good last year as Keith Bulluck struggled, but he has only scored 8 fantasy points per game this season. Keep him shelved if you own him in a dynasty league, but if you’re in a redraft, it’s likely time to cut bait.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

HOT

Terrell Suggs (DE – BAL) – A Huddle reader questioned my high ranking of Suggs last week. How does 26 fantasy points suit you? Suggs has several things going for him: one, because of Hurricane Ike, Suggs and the Ravens have already had their bye week. You get Suggs and his 12+ fantasy points per game for the next nine weeks. Two, look at the cupcake schedule upcoming for the Ravens; Raiders, Browns, Texans. Lots of points for the taking there. And thirdly, Suggs is simply a beast. Yes, Justin Tuck and Mario Williams are coming into their own, but Suggs has been doing this for a few years now. Look him to continue scoring big week to week.

Dewayne White (DE – DET) – White has a couple good things going for him, too. White’s a member of the horrible Detroit Lions, so you know he, as a defender, will be on the field a lot. Second, White has some talent. His 42 fantasy points over the past three weeks is tops for DL (edging out Suggs). White’s Lions have some tough matchups coming up, but it shouldn’t matter. Funny thing, too, is that White’s a free agent in the SOFA league (whose scoring I refer to for this article)

NOT

Tamba Hali (DE – KCC) – A lot of experts had Hali ranked high this preseason. I had him ranked somewhat high, but was weary of his prospects. Jared Allen he is not. In Allen’s spot, Hali is averaging 5.7 fantasy points per game, good for the 74th-best DL. On top of that, it gets no easier for the Chief defense in the next few weeks.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

HOT

Yeremiah Bell (S – MIA) – This guy was a bit of an unknown this season, even though he had shown some promise in 2007. Bell is averaging 16.5 fantasy points on the season and has had his bye week. Look for him to put up great stats again for the next couple weeks.

Cedric Griffin (CB – MIN) – Griffin was ranked high this preseason due to, mainly, the presence of ultra-stud Antoine Winfield patrolling the other side of the secondary. Griffin was inherently going to be tested on a regular basis as opposing QBs avoided Winfield. Griffin is definitely making the most of the chances, as he’s put up 58 fantasy points over the past three contests, best in the league. Griffin’s on bye this week, but make sure you get him in your lineup Week 9 and beyond.

Chris Gamble (CB - CAR) – You won’t need to “gamble” much on this guy. He started the season on fire, and cooled off a little bit (if you can call one game of 4 fantasy points “cooling off”) and appears to be on fire yet again. Look for him to put up great stats in defending against the aerial attack of the Cardinals this week.

NOT

Chris Harris (S – CAR) – Unlike his Panther counterpart, Harris has cooled significantly, especially over the past three weeks. Harris only has 15 points over the past three contests. Look for him to put up better stats this week. If he doesn’t, it might be time to cut him loose.